Democrat Pedersen Offers Astounding Explanation for Epic Flopperoo of Gun-Control Bill – It’s the Republicans’ Fault

Leading Advocate for Bill Says Rs Wield Power Far Beyond Their Numbers -- Comes as Surprise to Republican Minority, Which Operates at 55-43 Disadvantage

By Erik Smith
Washington State Wire


OLYMPIA, March 18.—If you’re wondering who, exactly, was to blame for the failure of the gun-control bill in the House last week, an astounding explanation turns up on Seattle’s Publicola website. State Rep. Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, tells writer Nikki Reading that it was all the Republicans’ fault.
State Rep. Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle.Not just that: Pedersen says Republicans rule the House these days, or at least they’ve figured out how to beat the Democrats. There hasn’t been a pip of protest from D ranks about the statement – the epic flopperoo last week appears to have left plenty of red faces – but Pedersen’s comment presents a rather interesting claim. Democrats have 55 votes in the House to the Republicans’ 43, and the gun-control bill reflects what many Dems say is a core principle of their party. Yet somehow they were unable to line up enough votes to do the job.

Basically, House Bill 1588 would have expanded background checks to all venues where guns are sold – including gun shows, the big bugaboo for gun-control advocates. And now they say they might try to run an initiative. But for observers of the legislative scene, the content of the bill isn’t as important as what happened on the House floor.  Democratic leaders shut down business for a day-and-a-half of back-room arm-twisting, right when a 5 p.m. Wednesday deadline for the passage of bills approached. Thus they tacitly let it be known that they were willing to let dozens of bills die for lack of a vote, and plenty of them did. Yet they couldn’t get their own members to go along. They actually needed only 49 – there was one Republican, Mike Hope of Lake Stevens, who was willing to vote for it.

What do you do after a failure of that magnitude? You blame the other party.

Pedersen told Reading, “Where I would place the blame is on the House Republican Caucus.” There is some logic to it. Pedersen goes on to say that it’s because the Republicans maintained discipline in their ranks while the Democrats did not. “They had a bunch – probably five or six members – who were open to it and whose districts, based on the polling that we had, were really supportive. And the Republican caucus came down on them like a ton of bricks.”

So Republicans are to blame when Democrats can’t do the job themselves? Yes, Pedersen says. The minority House Republicans actually have more power than the minority Democrats in the Senate this session. “When House Republicans decide they really dislike something and are going to lock up on it, they send a really powerful signal to the Senate Republicans.”
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That's not unlike The 49'ers blaming Evergreen High School for losing the Super Bowl.

It's the kind of moronic stupidity democrats and CRC scum exhibit every damned day around here, so I suppose that I shouldn't be surprised.